Kale Walnut Pesto Pasta
Sometimes I wonder if I would have liked kale when I was a kid. My mom made us spinach regularly and Swiss Chard on occasions but never kale. If I had kale chips, I'd have to assume I'd be into them. I have always been a sucker for crunchy things and I don't think my kid palette would have discriminated. But then again I think I might have been horrified with the kale chip-in- teeth- situation. Oh god, imagine if that happened in high school! If I loved them as much as I do now, I'd be Tracy-- that chick with the swamp teeth! I'd be standing alone at the school dance, the Cranberries would be playing and I'd be picking at my teeth waiting for some boy to ask me to dance. Gross...
I digress...So kale AS pesto. Sounds pretty neat huh? It is. With a little bit of lemon it's bright green & lovely. With some toasted walnuts it's smokey and nutty. With some olive oil and Parmesan cheese, it's smooth and creamy. I fantasize about dipping some of my Killer Garlic Bread in some. I bet it would be an amazing sauce/base for a pizza... fantastic on a baked potato or in a bruschetta concoction. Don't feel like going through the whole process of making pesto? Try this Pasta with Braised Kale recipe instead. But really, come on! It's super easy.
Arugula Fennel & Orange Salad
Latest Food Craving: Arugula Fennel & Orange Salad.
I had my first taste of this salad last Saturday at my friend Danielle's Champagne Tasting party. I kept a steady eye on the big glass salad bowl throughout the party. Between sips of bubbly, I monitored how much was left in the bowl. After my third helping, I dropped my napkin (on purpose) near the bowl and scooped up yet ANOTHER helping onto my plate. Did anybody notice that this was my fourth helping? It's salad! Who cares? When I came back from the party, Casey asked me about the different champagnes I tasted and all I could tell him was how blown away I was with this salad. It distracted me; I just KNEW I had to recreate it. Like...I couldn't sleep until I made plans to recreate it the next day.
When we had friends over for lunch on Sunday, I started with this salad as a feature and created a whole Antipasti Party around it. The surprisingly thing is that I've never much cared for shaved fennel, but now I adore it--- especially when it's combined with peppery arugula and juicy orange segments! The salad is light, crunchy, juicy, peppery and tangy. I love everything about it.
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Farro Salad with Cranberries
Dear Friends Who Love to Chop Food,
Let me start by saying that it's so awesome to find people who also enjoy the act of cutting up fruits & vegetables for recipes. Some people think we are weird, but who really cares?! I know they appreciate the heck out of us when we step up to bat in their kitchens. Isn't it just terrible to watch someone hack up a carrot and know that they're not even enjoying it? Blasphemy!
Ever since I took a knife skills class, I've been excited to find recipes that test out my skills. This recipe will totally fulfill your chopping quota for the day. There's onions, celery, almonds, AND parsley. It's fun, awesome, and you are going to love it. The best part? The end result is fabulous! You'll end up with a tangy sweet farro salad with lots of crunchy fun bits. I should mention that it's a healthy dish--great for vegans too! Your knife is begging you to sharpen it and take it for a spin. Please enjoy, and thanks again for your chopping support.
Your chop-happy friend,
Tracy
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Homemade Cheese Ravioli
Working on your resolutions for 2011?
In addition to DRINK MORE WATER, you should add MAKE PASTA FROM SCRATCH to your list. It's definitely a life changer. You will never take fresh homemade pasta for granted again. If you find yourself really digging the experience, you might take it a step further and make a batch of these scrumptious cheese ravioli. Wanna go crazy? Double the recipe and make it for your family on Christmas Eve. Having survived the crazy, I'd make sure you have about 4 hours of time allotted to do so. It's a lot work, but totally WORTH it. Don't let my mom tell you any different!
But let's start off simple. Pasta dough.
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Flaky Buttery Biscuits
Let's play the WHAT IF game. What if I went back in time and slipped this recipe into my mother's yellow recipe binder when I was a kid? How would that change the course of my life? Would that mean I wouldn't be writing this today? Would I have 9 children and live on a commune in the desert? Would the flux capacitor actually exist? That would mean the delorean would still be a popular car, right!? Would I weigh over 500 lbs? Would I have my own biscuit shop in Vermont? One may never know.... The good news is that today I'm making up for my biscuit-less childhood. Reason #2482 why my son is the luckiest boy--these biscuits! He will never have to ponder this great big WHAT IF? What if my mom wasn't a crazy biscuit lover? She just is.
What I like about biscuits is that they can be eaten at every meal-- all day long. A huge dollop of apricot jam and a sliver of butter and your breakfast is covered. Split one in half, add some bacon, a slice of aged sharp cheddar, some tomato & arugula and you've got yourself a fantastic lunch. Plop one in a big bowl of white bean chili and LOOK! Dinner is served! Or you could be just like your pal, Tracy and eat a whole batch within a course of a Sunday...
NUTS about NUTS! (Roundup)
After doing my Cookie Party Roundup, I realized that there are people out there who get OVER LOADED with cookies on the holidays. Sometimes I feel bad adding to one's cookie loot because there have been times where I've definitely been over-cookied. Since there's a little time left, and some of you might be scrambling to make something this weekend or next week before Christmas arrives, here's a post dedicated to those of you who are NUTS about NUTS! The best part is that they're all simple to tackle and most all of these recipes have a decent shelf life. Who doesn't appreciate that at this time of year?
Addictive Nutty Topping
A snap to whip up. Great added to yogurt, topped on pancakes, or eaten straight out of the jar you present it in.
The hardest part will be having some left to give AS presents. Watch out!
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Soup Roundup!
After making FOUR soups this week, I've got tons of leftovers in the fridge & freezer! Today, a big bowl of Portuguese Kale & Potato Soup warmed up my afternoon. It's so nice to just work through the leftovers on a lazy Sunday. Since I don't have any fridge space left for a new soup today, here's a little roundup of soups from the past! Enjoy!
Trader Joe's Tomato Roasted Red Pepper Soup I always keep this in my pantry!
Mexican Chicken Soup This soup is great for ANY kind of weather.
Sausage & White Bean Soup This soup changed my life! I always have the ingredients on hand for it!
Curry Zucchini Soup I love this soup. Especially because my mom always makes it on Christmas.
Sweet Potato & Chipotle Soup Smooth! Creamy! Spicy! Easy! A good tortilla chip vehicle.
Tuscan Ribollita The most incredibly hearty soup in my arsenal!
Vegetable Minestrone - I call this "Clean out your Fridge, Soup!" I make a batch of this almost weekly.
Curried Butternut Squash Soup So incredibly creamy, without the cream!
Creamy Mushroom Soup You might have the power to change someone into a mushroom lover with this one!
Here are the soups I accomplished this week:
Curried Squash & Red Lentil Soup with Cilantro Oil
Wow. That's kind of a lot! Are you totally souped out now?! Don't worry next week is gonna be filled with crafts, holiday treats and some more things to cross off my 31 comes before 32 list.
Portuguese Kale & Potato Soup
This soup has Sunday Afternoon written all over it. When it's cold outside, and you want your belly full of greens, meat & potatoes, THIS is the soup you should turn to. It's also one of those soups that gets better the second day, when the flavors meld together. I love that! The overnight stay in the fridge brings out more than you could have possibly anticipated!
Sausage AND Kale? I think this soup really has MY name written all over it.
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